The present invention is directed to a mobile terminal, such as a cellular phone, equipped with affinity group messaging, and more particularly to a mobile terminal equipped with the ability to locate members of the affinity group on demand.
One reason for the popularity of portable, wireless communication devices, such as cellular phones, is that they free people from tethers to fixed communication networks. A user can roam freely in the network, yet remain in touch with others. Thus, mobile communication devices provide a means by which people can remain in contact with whomever they want, wherever they happen to be. This is especially true among groups of individuals who share a common interest or affiliation (e.g., families, co-workers, those who share a common avocation or interest, such as tennis or music, and members of a club). Such groups shall be referred to herein as an affinity group.
Several existing technologies facilitate interaction among the members of an affinity group: Internet xe2x80x9cchat rooms,xe2x80x9d electronic mail (e-mail), advanced personal information management (PIM) applications such as Microsoft(copyright) Outlook(trademark), paging services, and advanced messaging services employing contact servers. Some Internet chat software, for example, AOL(copyright) Instant Messenger(trademark), ICQ, or other similar programs, informs members of an affinity group which other members of the group are currently logged into the server.
All these technologies support, to some degree, the desire of members of an affinity group to stay in close contact. The Internet chat room approach of informing the user which affinity group members are on-line is particularly useful. However, this approach has limitations, the most serious of which is that the user must be logged onto the Internet and in contact with a particular server to receive information on the status of the other group members. For example, suppose a first group member would like to chat with a second group member. The first group member has no way of knowing whether the second group member is logged onto the chat server without first logging onto the server supporting the affinity group. This typically requires connection through a personal computer over a wire-based phone line. Even in situations where wireless modems are used, the majority of the members of the affinity group are tied to terrestrial phone lines.
The assignee of the present invention has heretofore developed a system and method associated with a wireless communication network, described in application Ser. No. 09/514,657, entitled METHOD FOR FACILITATING ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION, filed Feb. 29, 2000 by Anders Waesterlid, which is hereby incorporated by reference, that supports wirelessly networked affinity groups. While that invention provides wireless affinity groups, along with some location information about the relative whereabouts of members of the affinity group, that invention still leaves unsatisfied customer demands. It is also desired that consumers of the affinity group service be able to query for the location of other members in the affinity group in the event that the member has not provided a timely update of his or her location. Further, there is a need for situational alarms that may be generated based on the proximity of other members of the affinity group, the sensed location of a specific member of the affinity group, or other user defined situations as needed or desired.
The shortcomings of the prior art are addressed by providing a mobile terminal having software stored in local memory to enable additional functionality within an affinity group. In one embodiment, the software is adapted to function with a location detector, such as a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, and to extract therefrom data relating to the present location of the mobile terminal. When a first member in the affinity group wishes to know the location of a remote member of the affinity group, the first member instructs his or her mobile terminal to inquire as to the present location of the remote member. Through a Short Message Service or other comparable messaging technology, an inquiry is sent to the remote member""s mobile terminal.
In a first aspect of the invention, members of the affinity group are able to create location place-name descriptions such that commonly visited places have a name or common appellation attached thereto. When the location detector senses that the mobile terminal is within a predefined distance of a location associated with a location place-name description, the mobile terminal assumes that the member is within the confines of that location. Thus, when an inquiry is made as to the location of a remote member, the inquiring member may be informed with the location place-name description rather than a set of raw geocoordinates such as are returned by a GPS receiver. This facilitates comprehension by the inquiring member as to the actual location of the remote member, whereas longitude and latitude measurements corresponding to the raw geocoordinates would perhaps not be particularly insightful.
Location place-name descriptions may be shared amongst members of the affinity group or maintained privately by the original member who created the location place-name description. Further, if a member of the affinity group is not within a predefined location having a location place-name description, a last known location, a vector referencing a known location having a location place-name description, or other indicia of present location may be provided to the inquiring member. While not as useful as the location place-name descriptions, these alternative location indicia may help inform the requesting member of the present location or the destination of the remote member whose location is sought.
In a second aspect of the invention, members of the affinity group may program the mobile terminal to generate situational alarms. Such situational alarms may enable members of the affinity group to know when other members of the affinity group have reached a certain location, such as the mall, or when members of the affinity group are approaching. Once the predefined condition is met, the inquiring or programming member is alerted through an audible signal, a mechanical signal such as a vibration, or other appropriate means. Having been alerted to the existence of the predefined condition, the programming member may then take appropriate action as originally contemplated when the situational alarm was programmed.